I'm a wine drinker, and I love a good, crisp Sauvignon Blanc. One of the ways people describe Sauv Blanc is to say it smells like boxwood. Can I let you in on a secret? That's just a foo-foo way of saying it smells like cat pee. You don't believe me? Look at what this New Zealand winery calls their Sauvignon Blanc:
You can't make this stuff up.
I'm not saying the cat … [Read more...]

This week I got an email from someone interested in hiring me to do a planting plan. One of the things she said that stood out to me was "some of the other designers are trying to convince us to go away from native plants..but we don't want to." Hmmm. I'm already intrigued, but I feel like any conversation about native plants has me looking like this:
Let's establish … [Read more...]

Is that the most click-baity headline ever? Anyhow, the short answer to that burning question: maybe.
The problem with old school, incandescent holiday lights (don't send me hate mail for that, people use them for Hanukkah and Yule, too) is that they give off a fair bit of heat. Where this becomes a problem is that during winter, your plants take a nap. They're dormant, … [Read more...]

Are you stumped and looking for last minute gift ideas for someone who loves grilling and cooking outside? I live to serve! Here are ten great gifts that will make you look like a hero to that special griller:
1. Where There's Smoke
For my birthday two years ago, MJ got me Where There's Smoke by Barton Seaver (Amazon affiliate link), an absolutely amazing resource for … [Read more...]

It's been said that I have a flair for the dramatic. When decorating a space, what better way to add drama than with lighting? I see too many examples of yards where lighting is strictly functional. Lighting can (and should) be so much more than a couple of uplights on the birch trees and a row of runway lights down the sidewalk.
Poking around on Kickstarter, I came … [Read more...]